1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of nipple feeding arrangements in general and in particular to a low cost substitute for an existing nipple feeding system.
2. Description of Related Art
Medela Inc., has recently developed a supplemental breast feeding system which is marketed under the trademark Medela Starter SNS and which employs a one-piece teat-tubing assembly which comprises a bottle top closure element adapted to engage the top of a bottle containing a supply of mother's milk or a feeding supplement and which is provided with an integrally formed elongated length of flexible tubing; and, a disk valve which rests on top of the supplemental feeding supply bottle and which is captively engaged to the top of the supply bottle by the bottle top closure element to vent the interior of the supply bottle as the contents of the supply bottle are being consumed by the infant.
While the aforementioned prior art construction is more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which it has been specifically designed, this particular system is very costly to manufacture due to the one-piece construction of the teat-tubing assembly and the specialized design of the two-piece disk valve.
While many mothers would undoubtedly receive substantial benefit from employing the supplemental feeding system that has been developed by Medela Inc.; unfortunately, the cost of this system has put this product out of the range of many low and middle income mothers.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a need for a new and improved low cost substitute for the Medela supplemental feeding systems which employs a large number of low cost commercially available components in conjunction with a single custom made component to duplicate the function of the Medela system; and, the provision of such a low cost nipple feeder arrangement.